Spindle



Aug. 21, 1928.

E. B. FEASTER ET AL SPINDLE Filed Aug. 7, 1926 VEN 70H51 Fig.

Patented Aug. 21, 1928.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD B. FEASTER, OF LOW'ELL, AND CECIL B. ALMY, OF MARBLEHEAD, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO SACO-LOWELL SHOPS, OF NEWTON UPPER FALLS, MASSACHU- SETTS, A CORPORATION F MASSACHUSETTS.

SPINDLE.

Application led August 7, 1926. Serial No. 127,928.

and socket bearing whose members are irrictionally engaged by a spring under a substantial initial compression, and which spindle is stepped at its lower end in a bearing member carried by the spindle bolster which is located in an oil well formed in the bolster housing.

The present invention has for its object to provide a simple and improved construction of spindle having the characteristics of the spindle referred to and additional characteristics as Will be described.

v Tov this end, the spring is located in the bolster housing below the ball and socket member a'iiiXed to the spindle and is placed under the kdesired or required initial compression'by means of the co-operating bearing member, which latter is located near the open upper end of the bolster housing. and is maintained therein by a retaining member, as will be described.

The ball and socket members are located within the bolster housing With the center of the ball member substantially in the center of the line of pull of the belt or band on the whirl fast on the spindle.

These and other features of the invention will be pointed out in the claim at the end ot this speciiication.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a spindle constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2, a vertical cross-sectional view of the spindle shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4, details ot the ball and socket members shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5, a vertical cross-sectional view on a larger scale through the ball and socket bearing members of the bolster and the adjacent parts, and

Fig. 6, a bottom view of the bobbin shown in Fig. 2.

The construction shown comprises af housing which includes a base 2 adapted to rest on the spindle rail of a spining or twisting frame and a tubular part 3 extending downward from said base and forming an oil well. A portion of this extension 3 is screwthreaded to receive a nut which clamps the base 2 on the spindle rail. The housing also includes a tubular extension 4 which pro jects upwardly from the base 2 for a short distance and is substantially in alignment with the part 3. Formed in the sections 3 and 4. of the housing is a vertical bore or chamber and mounted in this chamber is a bolster 5 in which the spindle 6 is rotatably supported. The bolster is provided with two bearings for the blade, one consisting ot a step 7 of bronze or other suitable metal which is secured in the lower end of the bolster, while the other bearing surface supports the blade laterally and includes that portion of the bore of the bolster above the shoulder 8, Fig. 5. Between these two bearings the blade is unsupported, but the fact that these bearings are widely separated, one being near the bottom of the housing and the other near the top, contributes to smooth operation of the blade.

A whirl is secured on the blade 6 and includes a sleeve portion 10 and a pulley 12 to receive the driving band or belt. Either a flat or grooved pulley may be used. depending upon the type of driving belt which is employed. This whirl usually is forced onto the spindle under heavy pressure so that it is frictionally secured to the spindle.

A ball and socket bearing is provided for the bolster and supports the lbolster and the spindle blade for tipping movement about a center located within the whirl and preferably in the line of the belt pull. The ball member 15 of this bearing is of approximately hemispherical shape, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 5, with the rounded end thereof uppermost, and it has `an annular bearing face 16 at its lower side, the plane of this face being approximately perpendicular to the axis of the blade 6. Preferably this plane passes through or close to the center of the ball 15. This ball member tits snugly in a socket member 17 which is positioned just above the ball. A spring ring 18 fitting in a groove 19 formed in the upper end of the tubular extension 4 of the spindle housing bears against the upper end of the socket 17. The iiat bearing face 16 of the ball member 15 rests on the upper end of a sleeve 20 which is slidable in the part 4, and a coiled spring 21 which is seated on an interior shoulder 22, Fig. 2, formed in the part 8 ot the spindle housing, presses the sleeve 20 upwardly and holds the ball member 15 irmly in its socket 17. In the construction shown this spring supports the entire Weight of the spindle and its load, and the spring therefore is compressed so that it exerts a considerable pressure, say, 25 or 30 pounds on the ball 15. The degree of pressure used will vary with the type of spindle, a heavy spindle requiring a greater pressure than that just mentioned since the spindle shown is of a light or medium weight type.

The spring 21 is held in its compressed condition by the spring ring 18 above described, this ring preventing the spring from forcing the sleeve 20, bolster 5 and socket 17 upwardly out of the bolster housing.

Assuming now that the spindle is running and carrying a thread body, the weight of which is unbalanced or eccentrically dif*- posed, this factor, and possibly also the tension of the thread or yarn, tend to tip the spindle and thus to produce the chattering or vibration which is so objectionable in the common constructions. The reason for this appears to be that any spindle, whether of the construction here shown or of the usual commercial constructions, is mounted to rotate about its geometrical axis; and when such a spindle carries an unbalanced load and is run at high speeds it then tends to rotate, not about its geometrical axis, but about an axis passing through the `center of gravity of the entire rotating mass. 'Consequently, when a spindle so loaded is started from a condition of rest and its speed of rotation is gradually increased, the forces tending to produce a shift from the geo1netrical axis to the natural axis of rotation gradually increase. A conflict, therefore, is set up between the forces tending to maintain or establish these two axes, and if the spindle is supported in xed bearings it vibrates or chatters.

In the present arrangement such :a tipping movement -of the spindle in any direction results in tipping the bolster about the center of the ball member 15. Referring to Fig. 5 it will be seen that such a tipping movement will depress the sleeve :slightly againstthe tension of the spring 21. `The spring, therefore, yieldingly resists this tipping movement and tends to operate through the sleeve 20 and the barll member 1,5 to restore the spindle lblade yto its orig-inal upright position.

While the spindle, therefore, (can yield to forces tending to tip it, it does, nevertheless, oppose a resilient or elastic resistance to such forces.

It will thus be observed .that -when the spindle is Iin operation the blade 16 has, in addition to its rotative movement yabout its axis, a rotary or `gyrating motion yaround an axis passing through the Acenter of grav-ity =of the entire rotating mass land the center of the ball member 15. The rate of gyration depends upon the forces tending to produce such movement. The amplitude of gyration is very small so that to the eye the spindle appears to be rotating on a stationary axis and to be running perfectly steady. During this gyrating motion only a small part of the annular bearing face 16 (theoretically a point) is in contact with the upper end of the sleeve 20, and Ythis point of Contact travels around on the upper end face of the sleeve as the blade gyrates.

lt should also be notedvthat since the bearing face 1G on the ball 15 is closely adjacent to the center 0f the ball, and the plane of this face intersects the axis of the spindle at or close to the center of the ball, the distance through which the force tending t0 tip the spindle must act, is very short and the leverage exerted by an unbalanced load on -the spindle consequently is relatively great. A considerable tipping movement of the upper end of the spindle, therefore, produces only a very slight depression of the -sleeve 2O and a correspondingly slight rocking movement of the ball in its socket. These factors are important in obtaining the desired results.

Any tendency of the belt pull to tip the spindle is counteracted by the centering of the ball and socket bearing substantially in the line of belt pull, it being understood that the belt moves up and down slightly over the surface 12 so that the exact line of the belt pull is constantly shifting up and down through a very short distance.

For the purpose of lubricating the bearing surfaces, the base l2 is provided with the usual oil spout 24, the upper end of this spout being closed by a hinged cover 25. This oil spout connects with the 4.oil well in the lower part 3 of the bolster housing. Slots 26 formed in the lower part of the bolster admit oil to the step bearing 7 and also to the lower part of the spindle. When the spindle is running oil travels. upwardly along' the surface of the spindle, through ,the lateral bearing at the upper end of the bolster, into the pocket 27, Figs. l and 5, formed in the socket member 17. The 'lower or bearing` face of this `socket member is grooved, as best shown at 28, Fig. 8, to allow the oil to flow downward over the ball surface of the member 15, one or more slots or grooves 29, Fig. 3, being formed in this member to allow the yoil to pass `downward onto the sleeve 2O and thence back to the oil well.b These parts thus 4are kept supplied with oil so that they 'can move freely.

1t should be noted-that the whirl shown is unique in construction, in that the sleeve portion 10 lis separated from the pulley section of the whirl by 'a flat shoulder 30, Fig. 1, on which the lower end of the bobbin 31 rests. The bobbin has a somewhat deeper cavity 32 in its lower end than usual, and it sets down over the entire sleeve 10, resting on the shoulder 30 at the junction of the sleeve with the pulley. Two lugs 33- 33 are riveted to this shoulder and project upwardly therefrom, these lugs being arranged to enter slots 34-34 formed in the base of the bobbin to drive the bobbin positively with the spindle. This construction has the advantage of utilizing all the available space above the pulley and thus permitting the use of longer bobbing than otherwise would be possible.

We have definitely demonstrated that this spindle does operate satisfactorily under unbalanced loads, and while we have given above the reasons which we believe are responsible for this improved operation, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the theory of operation above advanced, this theory being held since it is supported by the data at present available to us.

The improved results above described l have, however, been definitely established.

The spindle structure is relatively simple, the parts can be manufactured economically, and due to the eihcient lubrication and the nature of the construction, wear and depreciation are reduced to a minimum. The spring and the various bearing members can all be assembled in the housing from the upper end, and the assembling operations can be performed very quickly and economically.

In assembling the spindle, the spring 21 is first inserted into the bolster housing and seated on the shoulder 22. The sleeve 2O is then inserted and rests on the spring 21. The bolster 5 is now inserted until the ball member 15 rests on the sleeve 20. The socket member 17 is then inserted and pressure is applied to it by means of a suitable tool, not shown, until the upper edge of the socket member has been forced below the annular groove 19 on the inner surface of the bolster housing, so that the split spring ring 18 may be inserted into said groove, whereupon the pressure upon the socket member 17 is removed and the latter is forced by the spring 21 into engagement with the retaining ring 18, which renders the socket member 17 stationary and causes it to act as an abutment for the ball member' 15 which is forced against the same by the spring 21.

It will thus be observed that the parts may be quickly and easily assembled in the bolster housing and readily removed therefrom for repairs or other purpose, for by removing the retaining member or spring 18, the other parts are free to be removed. It will also be observed that when the parts are in their operative position within the bolster housing, the spring 21 is under a substantial initial compression, which is sufficiently great to create suihcient friction between the ball and socket members of the bolster to restrain the latter from rotating when supporting a balanced load and to initially resist and substantially overcome gyratory motion of said bolster when carrying an unbalanced load,

It is preferred to provide the member of the ball bearing which engages the retaining ring 18, with a beveled surface at its upper end, so that when subjected to the pressure of the spring 21, the beveled surface will force the retaining ring 18 into its groove 19 and act to lock it therein against accidental displacement.

It is preferred to provide the socket member 17 withl four grooves or passages 28 set 900 apartand to provide the ball member with three passages 29 set 120 apart so that opportunity is afforded for the passage of oil from the chamber 27 to the upper surface of the ball member under all conditions of use.

While we have herein shown and described a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

Having thus described our invention, what we desire to claim as new is:

In a spindle, in combinationA` a bolster housing having airail-engaging base, a tubular member extended upwardly from said base and open at its upper end, and a tubular member extended downward from said base and closed at its lower end to form an oil well, a bolster for the spindle blade insertible into the housing through the upper tubular member thereof and suspended at its upper end and having its lower end eX- tended into s'aid oil well, a ball and socket bearing for said bolster having a member attached to the bolster, and a co-operating member insertible into the housing through the open upper end of the upper tubular member of said housing and movable lengthwise of the said upper tubular member, a sleeve slidable within the upper tubular member of the housing and co-operating with the bearing member attached to the bolster, a spring located in said housing below said sleeve and co-operating with the latter, said spring being constructed and arranged to be placed under a substantial initial compression by movement of the ball and socket bearing members within and lengthwise of the upper tubular member of the housing, and means co-operating with the upper tubular member of the housing and with the upper member of the ball and socket bearing to retain said spring in its initially compressed condition.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

EDWARD B. FEASTER. CECIL B. ALMY. 

